Device for operating mine-shaft doors.



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C DWELL, OF ANAGONDA, COLORADO.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING MINE-SHAFT ooons.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,802, datedOctober 10, 1899;

Application filed June 6,1899. Serial No. 719,582; (llomodehh I TO allwhom it may concern: Be it known that I, CHARLES CALDWELL, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Anaconda, in the county of Teller andState of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devicesfor Operating Mine- Shaft Doors, of which the following is aspecification. Y

My invention relates to mechanism for em tomatieally opening the doorsof mine-shafts by the movements-of the cage. of the elevator.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction ofthe same which shall possess superior advantages with respect toelfieiency in use.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the shaftof amine provided with myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section onthe line a: 50, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the rope-wheel,showing the adjustable weight carried thereby. Fig. at shows views inelevation and plan, respectively, of the oscillating rod which operatesthe cog and rope wheels and the top plate through which it passes. Fig.5 is a perspective view of the oscillating rod, showing .the

'shoe' by which it is operated by the move ment of the elevator-cage.Fig. dis a detail In the said drawings thereferenee-numeral 1 designatesthe upright timbers of the. mine;

shaft,'and 2 the cross-timbers connected therewith.

a the brace-bars, and 5 the cable, whichmay be of any ordinary orsuitable construction. The numeral'ti designates a vertical oscil latingrod, which passes through two-of the cross-timbers at each landing, oneof which timbrs is providedwitha plate 7,-thr'oi1gh which said rodv alsopasses. The upper side of this plateis recessed around said'hole,

forminganoil-cup 8. At the under side of is a door or doors.

The numeral'3 designates an elevatoi' cage,

is oscillated or turned the rod is correspondingly oscillated by reasonof the key and groove. Secured to said rod is a shoe 1?, which isadapted to be thrown into the path of a bar 13, secured to thebrace-bars 4 at one side of the cage as the cage is lowered. Mountedupon said rod and held in place thereon by collars 1a is a rack-bar 15,which meshes with a cog-wheel 16, secured to or formed with therope-wheel l7, journaled to the cross-timbers of the shaft. There is oneof these wheels at each landing Where there The periphery of this wheelis grooved, and secured thereto is a rope 18,which passes around apulley 19, carried by a bracket 19, and the other end is secured to thehinged door 20 of the landing. This door is provided with a spring orsprings 21, of any suitable construction, for closing the door when theelevatorrcage is raised or elevated. The said rope-wheel is provided onthe side opposite the cog-wheel witha radial rod 22, which carries anadjustable coun terbalance-weight for the purpose of returning saidwheelto normal position after it has been operated to open the door, ashereinafter described.

Thenumeral 24 designates vertical guide bars or beams which engage=withopposite guide-grooves 25 in the bottom of the said cage, and to thesebars or beams are'pivoted levels 26; To the upper end of one of theselevers is pivoteda rod 2'7, the other end of which is pivoted to theplate 9. Also pivoted to said levers at the upper and lowerends,respectively, are. outwardly-extending rods 28, the opposite endsof which are pivoted to chairs or steps 29, pivotallyconnected with thevertical timbers of the shaft and located in,re-.

are 'connectedtogether in pairs by horizontal .cesses 29 therein. -Thereare two of these chairs at opposite sides of theshaft, and they rods 30,so that asthe 'chairs onone side of the'shaft are operated by theleverandlconnections the others will move in unison therewith. The vnumeral 31 designates a handlever pivoted to the bearing secured to thefloor of the mine-drift and connected with one of the said chairs by arod 82.

The numeral 34, Fig. '2, designates the beams'to which the floor of theelevator-cage is secured. Then it is desired to lower the elevator-cageto receive a car or for any other purpose, the operator at the landingat which it is desired the cage shall stop signals for the cage todescend and turns the lever 31, so that through its connections thechairs will be thrown inward, as seen in Fig. 1, and lie in the path ofand serve as stops for the cage. At the same time the rod 6 will begiven a one-quarter turn, so that the shoe carried thereby will lie inthe path of the bar 13, carried by the brace-bars of the cage. the cagereaches the landing said bar will strike the shoe and depress the rod 6,and the rack-bar engaging with the cog-wheel of the rope-wheel will turnthe latter and through the medium of the rope secured thereto will openthe door. When the cage is elevated, the bar 13 will move away from theshoe l2, and the strain on the rope being relieved the springs connectedwith the door will close the same. At the same time the weight carriedby the rope-wheel will turn the latter in a reverse direction andthrough the medium of the cog-wheel and rack-bar will elevate the rod 6.The lever 31 is then turned to throw the chairs outward into the recess29 so as to be out of the path of the cage, and also to turn the plate9,."rod 6, and shoe 12, so that the latter will be out of the path ofthe bar connected with the brace-rods of the cage. If it is desired tolower the cage to another level or landing after the door has beenopened and closed, as above described, instead of proceeding immediatelyupward it can be readily done as the chairs and shoe are out of thepaths of the cage and the bar 13, as will be readily understood.

While I have shown but one door employed in connection with a landing,it is obvious that two may be employed without departing from theprinciple of the invention, as such can be readily accomplished by amultiplication of ropes and pulleys, which will be obvious to anyoneskilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is p g I 1. In amine-elevator, the combination with the hinged spring-actuated door, ofthe os'cil lating rope-wheel, the rope connected therewith and with thedoor, the cog-wheel carried by said rope-wheel, the rack-bar engagingtherewith and means for operating the same by the movement of theelevator-cage, substantially as described.

2. In a mine-elevator, the combination with the hinged spring-actuateddoor, the ropewheel, the rope connected therewith and with the door, andthe cog-wheel carried by said wheel, of the vertically-movable rack-bar,the vertically-movable oscillating rod carrying the same, formed with avertical groove, the shoe secured to said rod, the-plate formed with ahole and with a key engaging with said groove, the rod pivoted to saidplate and meshing with said cog-wheel, the verticallymovable rod whichcarries said rack-bar formed with a vertical groove, the shoe fixed tosaid rod, the plate through which said rod passes provided with a keyengaging with said groove, the rod connected therewith, the

lever with which said rod is connected and the hand-lever andconnecting-rod for operating the same, substantially as described.

4. In a mine-elevator, the combination with the hinged spring-actuateddoor, the oscillating rope-wheel, the rope connected therewith and'withsaid door, and the cog-wheel carried by said rope-wheel, of the rack-barmeshing therewith, the vertical rod carrying said rack-bar and formedwith a vertical groove, the shoe fixed to said rod, the plate throughwhich said rod passes formed with a key engaging with said groove, thebar pivoted to said plate, the lever with which it is connected, therods connected with said lever, the pivoted chairs with which saidlast-mentioned rods are connected, the hand-lever and connecting rod,substantially as dcscribed.

5. In a mine-elevator, the combination with the hinged spring-actuateddoor, the oscillat ing rope-wheel, the rope connected therewith and withsaid door, the radial arm and ad justable counterbalanced weight and thecogwheel connected with said rope-wheel, of the vertically-movablerack-bar and means for operating the same by the movement of the cage ofthe shaft, substantially as described.

(5. In a mine-elevator, the combination with the hinged spring-actuateddoor,.the oscillating rope-wheel, the rope connected therewith and withthe door, the radial arm and adj ust= able counterbalanceweight,and thecog-wheel conected with said rope-wheel, of the rack bar, thevertically-movable, oscillating rod carrying said rack-bar formed with avertical groove, the shoe fixed to said rod, the plate having a keyengaging with said groove, and means for operating said plate,substantially as described.

7. In a mine-elevator, the combination with the hinged spring-actuateddoor, the oscillatin g rope-wheel, the rope connected therewith and withthe said door, the radial arm, the adjustable weight, and the cog-wheelsecured to said rope-wheel, of the rack-bar engaging therewith, thevertically-movable oscillating rod carrying said rack-bar formed with avertical groove, the shoe fixed to' said red, the plate through whichsaid rod passes provided with a key engaging with said groove, the rodconnected therewith, the lever with which said rod is connected,-theoutwardly-extending rods connected with said lever, the pivoted chairswith which said last-mentioned rods are connected, the hand-lever andthe connecting-rod, substantially as described.

8. In a mine-elevator, the combination with the hinged spring-actuateddoor, the oscillating rope-wheel, the rope connected therewith and withsaid door, the radial arm, the counterbalance-weight carried thereby,and the cog-wheel secured to or formed with said ropewheel, of therack-bar meshing therewith, the vertically-movable oscillating rodcarrying said rack-bar formed with a vertical groove, the shoe fixed tosaid rod, the plate through which said rod passes provided with a keyengaging with said groove, the rod connected

